F R A N K D U VE N E C K F rom t he Portra xt b y jo s eph DeC a mp F RAN K DUVE N E CK B Y N OR BE R ’I‘ H E E R MA N N WI TH ILLU S T RA TIONS BOSTON AND YO R K U GH TO N M IF F LI N COM PA N Y F RAN K DU V E N E CK B Y NORBERT H E E R MA N N WIT H ILLU STRAT IONS BOSTON A ND N E W YOR K HOUGHTON M IF F L I N COMPANY mmmin a fiibz 'Brew (Eambtibge 1 9 1 8 PR E FACE I N a well - known dictionary of American artists in which considerable space is devoted to a l of most all our artists , we find under Frank ’ Duveneck s name j ust a small paragraph , and ’ under that the editor s remark N o answer to ’ circular . This is characteristic of Duveneck . Since it was not a very easy matter to get the chronology of the works and most interesting I facts in connection with them correctly , am especially indebted to those who have aided me in the preparation of this little work , to Mrs . B rn h rn . a o William B Pratt, Mr Clement , and Mr . Oliver Dennett Grover . For permission to make use of photographs of their paintings by Duveneck I am grateful to the Cincinnati M u seum , the Boston Museum of Fine Arts , the s Penn ylvania Academy of Fine Arts , the Chi V i PREFACE cago Art Institute , the Queen City Club of Cincinnati , and the Boston Tavern Club , and to Mrs . Henry C . Angell and Mr . M . A . w . De olfe Howe , of Boston ILLU STR AT ION S Frank D uv en e ck F r on ti spi ece m the e e a m e the Fro Portrait by Jos ph D c p , own d by Cin ci n n a ti Mus eum ’ Jos eph D eca mp s po rt rait of Duveneck s t rongly indicat es hi s phys ica l ' - Pe e s d e a n d m ent a l m ake up an d h arm omz es very w ell w ith M rs . nn ll SCI’l t fl a e The ex res s m n I NS e es an d a s the a as p (p g p of y h nd in c nv , s es a e a th e s i er mi m ean a m s a ugg ting 'ui tude th t to out d ght l o t nything , y et to tho s e th a t know hi m conveys t h e feeling of l at ent pow er an d re m inds o n e th at thes e b lu e ey es of hi s a re us e d to look at things fi rm ly - Th e o r an d to t a ke from th em a cl ear cut s um m ary of w h a t IS there. p r a i s i hi r It w a s a w r t it a doub le t r b ut e of Decamp to s t each e . o k of e ime a b ee a e r m m m is s i s m e e It for a i lov , t h ving n t k n f o co on to co pl t g ft Ci n cmn at i w ere D eCa m w as b r an d re ei e h i s ea r art r am to , h p o n c v d ly t I ’ A ing . t a l s o c a rri es t h e s ign of th e latt er s t ra ini ng und er Duveneck . fi n e e e ara eriz a i the ers s m m e w h o s ai Cu t pi c of ch ct t on ; p on u d it up d , t he h and on the l eft out a n d s how it to anybody tha t know s Duveneck an d h e w ill t ell you w ho s e h and it V T h e Old S chool m a s t e r e the s e m of e Own d by Bo ton Mus u Fin Arts , now hung the e of f me e e C e in hous its or r own r , Mrs . H nry . Ang ll , Boston V Whi s tling B oy Own ed by the Cincinnati Mus eum x /W om a n w ith a Fan e e fe e Bs Own d by Mr . M . A . D wol How , o ton J Y oun g Man w ith Ruff Own ed by the Cincinnati Mus eum Portrait of Profe s s or Lud w ig L o e fftz Ow ned by the Cincinnati Mus eum FRAN K DUVEN ECK N1 Unfi ni s h e d Portrait Stu dy Owned by th e Cincinn a ti Mus eum m . J Portrait of M r . Willia Adam s Own ed by the Cincinnati Mus eum JT urki s h Page Own e d by the Pennsylvani a Acad emy o f Fin e Art s m w h e - M e - s A Wo an it Forg t Not Own ed by the Cincinnati Mus eum Sk e tch of a T u rk e the e l B Own d by Tav rn C ub , oston Portrait of J. Frank C u rri er e the I t e a Own d by Art ns itut , Chic g o 4 R ed - Haired Man w ith R uff Own ed by the Cincinn ati Mus eum ’ JTh e Cob b l er s Appr entic e e a l e P. a f Own d by Mr . Ch r s T t x 3 Portrait of John W . Al e and e r Own ed by the Cincinnati Mus eum W el l e - Q and Wat r Tank , Italian Villa Own ed by the Cincinna ti Mus eum Old w o o B v A To n Bro k , P lling , a aria Own ed by the Cincinnati Mus eum j F l o ren ti n e Flow e r Girl Own ed by the Cincinnati Mus eum Si esta l e the ee l c Own d by Qu n City C ub , Cin innati v e v e e . Ri a d gli Schia oni , V nic Etching FRANK DUVENECK ix Th e e ce . Rialto , V ni Etching ' m z B o t uv . M e orial to Eli ab e th ot D e n e ck Scul pt ur e . “ z e the C eme e l e e Bron in Allori t ry , F or nc Fac s im il e of th e L e tte r adopt ed fi rs t b y th e For e ign M em b e r s of th e Ju ry for th e Panam a- Paci fi c In tern ati o n al E x po s ition and late r e ndor s e d b y th e Entire Am e ri can Ju ry F RANK DU VE NE CK I ’ s AFTE R all said , Frank Duveneck is the ” greatest talent of the brush of this generation . These are the words which John Singer Sar gent spoke at a dinner given in London in the early nineties , in a discussion of the merits of such eminent men as Carolus Duran and others . This j udgment , deliberately spoken by a man whom artists and laymen alike have come to regard as the most technically brilliant of painters , would not now, any more than it did then , arouse contradiction in a company of Y artists . et to the general public it would come b e with a shock of surprise . This is in part cause Duveneck ’s work is not accessible to the general public . Another reason lies in the fact ’ that the greatness of Duveneck s art is best u n d er o sto d . by the student of painting His style , 2 FRAN K DUVENECK “ ' simple and direct , is sans phrase , without i ff techn cal tricks for e ect, without persuasive - n story subj ects , without even so much self co “ s ci ou sn ess as is implied in the word senti ” ment . Of literary association there is none, of doctrine or dogma there is none . The world of this painter is not history , not imagination , not psychological analysis , not ethics ; those fields which our public loves to expl ore . His compelling interest is in the normal aspect of man and nature , the subj ects he chooses are everyday types ; he conceives them in an n u en pretentious spirit , but transmits them as dowed with quiet power . There is in his work a certain finality of grasp with a dignity , a calm , which to the connoisseur is akin to the serenity a of the Greek , while to the multitude it may p pear actually commonplace .